Folding anchor

ABSTRACT

A folded anchor is releasably supported on a munition by shear pins through its shank. The anchor&#39;&#39;s spring loaded stock and arms are extended into their operative mode upon impact of the munition on the target area (water). The anchor is maintained in the folded condition by the locking action of fluke locks mounted on the stock. Spring action of a stock spring against a slider forces the stock to its fully opened position. The slider and link locks the stock into an open position so that it cannot collapse during the anchoring action.

[451 Apr. 30, 1974 nite States atent [191 Diorio et a1.

[ FOLDING ANCHOR Prima ExaminerT e M. Blix 76 l 1 :FrankD c tD.Rd.N.

[ nven ors 1 Lake gggg gfi g g L 0 Assistant Examiner-Ga1en L. Barefoot McDonald FOX, Rd- Attorney, Agent, 0" Herbert Denville; Robert A. Resch, One Webb Burnside PL, Wayne, all of NJ.

Sept. 11, 1973 Appl. No.: 396,279

ABSTRACT [22] Filed:

A folded anchor is releasably supported on a munition by shear pins through its shank. The anchors spring loaded stock and arms are extended into their operative mode upon impact of the munition on the target area (water). The anchor is maintained in the folded condition by the locking action of fluke locks AMZA 8 0 2% m2 A 1 R IM 0 nul WW M "8 0 U/ m WWW L w Ch n .M m.w UIF .111 2 8 555 [II 56] References Cited mounted on the stock. Spring action of a stock spring UNITED STATES PATENTS against a slider forces the stock to its fully opened position. The slider and link locks the stock into an open 114/208 R position so that it cannot collapse during the anchor- 1 14/208 R mg action.

2,170,889 8/1939 Allin 3,215,111 11/1965 McDaniel.

3,621,805 11/1971 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTED APR 30 I974 SHEET 2 [IF 3 d e, a, a Q) e e SHEET 3 [IF 3 PM TEDAPR as lam FOLDING ANCHOR GOVERNMENTAL INTEREST The invention described herein may be manufactured, used and licensed by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Various means have been used in the prior art to anchor munitions dropped from aircraft into a water target area. Most of the prior art devices are satisfactory in their ability to anchor the munition after it has been deployed, but their size precludes their use due to the SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The present invention relates to a folding anchor device which solves the aircraft dispenser space limitation problem without affecting the anchors efficiency. The present device incorporates spring loaded rotatable stock and arm members which are folded at strategic locations. These aforementioned members are spring extended into a conventional anchor configuration when the force of impact action on a crown, attached to the shank, shears mounting bolts which frees the stock so that a fluke lock can release the folded arm members. The spring action of a stock spring against a shank mounted slider forces the stock into an open position, and a slider locks the stock into the open position so that the stock cannot collapse during the anchoring stage.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a folded anchor for an aircraft dispensed munition.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a folded anchor for an aircraft dispensed munition having a smaller folded configuration than the conventional anchor but having the same holding power.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a folded anchor suitable for attachment to an aircraft dispensed munition which is spring loaded to extend its stock and arms upon impact with the water. Another object of the present invention is to provide a folded anchor suitable for attachment to an aircraft dispensed munition whose folded stock is locked into an open position when the stock is once opened.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a folded anchor whose stock is kept in a folded or closed position by mounting bolts which fasten the anchor to the munition and which release the anchor from the munition when they shear under the force generated when the munition impacts the water being dropped from an aircraft.

For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further objects thereof, reference is made to the following descriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is an isometric view of the anchor in its folded position as it would appear when attached to a munition before the munition has impacted with the target area.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the anchor in its partially open position, immediately after the munition has impacted with the target area and caused the anchor to break away from the munition at its shear mounting bolts thereby releasing the spring loaded stock allowing it to become fully extended.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the anchor in its operational condition showing the flukes and the stock fully extended.

Throughout the following description like reference numerals are used to denote like parts of the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the anchor 10 has a shank 12. The lower end 14 of the shank I2 is fixedly attached to a U-shaped crown member 16. The upper end 18 of the shank 12 pivotally supports a pair of elongated stock members 20 which are rotatably attached thereto by pivot pin 21. A spring retaining pin 22, fixedly attached to the shank 12, protrudes slightly therefrom and helps to keep a helical spring 25 in compression between pin 22 and a slider 26. Slider 26 has a central orifice 27 which slidably fits over shank 12 so that slider 26 can move intermediate the top end of spring 24 and the pivot pin 21. The stock members 20 are rotatably connected to slider 26 by means of a pair of stock cranks 28 which engage a pair of U shaped stock pivot members 29. A spool housing 30 contains a line 31 therein which is affixed to one end of an axially support spool (not shown) and to the munition at a hook 33 on its other end. The spool 30 is rotatably attached to the shank 12 by a bracket-pin assembly 32. Each free end 35 of the stock members 20 has a formed fluke lock 37 fixedly attached thereto. The crown 16 has two spring loaded anchor arms 34 pivotally attached thereto by arm-crown pivot pins 39. The arm torsion springs 36 maintain the arms 34 so that when extended as shown in FIG. 3 the arms 34 lie in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shank 12. The crown 16 is attached to the shank 12 such that the planes of rotation generated during deployment of stock members 20 and arms 34 are perpendicular to each other. The shank 12 has a pair of shear pin bores 38 therein so that shear pins 40 may hold the anchor 10 to the munition 42. A pair of triangularly shaped flukes 44 are fixedly attached to the other ends of the arms 34 by rivets 46.

In operation the anchor 10 is maintained in its folded condition attached to the munition 42, as shown in FIG. I, by the locking action of stock 20 and fluke locks 37. The stock 20 is kept in its folded or closed position by the mounting pins 40 which fasten the shank 12 to the munition 42 keeping one of the stock pairs 20 intermediate the munition 32 and the shank 12. These mounting bolts 40 release the anchor 10 when they shear off under the force generated when the munition 42 impacts the water after being air dropped from an aircarft. The force of impact (transmitted by means of a sabot or ram not shown) acting on the bottom of the crown 16 shears the mounting bolts 40 which frees the stock 20. The spring action of the compressed helical stock spring 24 against the slider 26 forces the stocks 20 to the fully open position through the lever action of links 28 which rotatably engage U-shaped stock pivot members 29 as shown in FIG. 3. The links 38, in conjunction with slider and compression spring, lock the stocks 20 in the open position so that they cannot collapse during the anchoring action. As the stocks 20 swing open, the fluke locks 37 free the flukes 44 so that the torque of the torsion springs 36 opens the arms 34 so that the flukes 44 are in their operational position. Once the stocks 20 and the arms 34 are sprung to their fully opened position, the anchor will operate in the conventional manner.

The foregoing disclosure and drawings are merely illustrative of the principles of this invention and-are not to be interpreted in a limiting sense. We wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to exact details of construction shown and described for obvious modification will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by. letters patent of the United States is:

l. A folding anchor for attachment to an aircraft dispensed munition which comprises:

a shank member releasably attached to said munition;

stock means;

a crown member fixedly attached to one end of said shank member;

folding arm means, pivotally supported by said crown member, and spring biasing means for extending said arm means into an anchoring position when unlocked by said stock means;

said stock means being foldable and pivotally supported on the other end of said shank member, including means for locking said arm means in folded position before deployment of said anchor from said anchor from said munition;

slider means, biasedly positioned on said shank member, for extending said stock means from a folded position to an open position, thereby, unlocking said arm means, when said shank member is forcibly released from said munition; and

spool means, operatively fixed to said shank member and said munition, for keeping said munition connected to said anchor after said anchor has separated from said munition.

2. A folding anchor as recited in claim 1 wherein said folding stock means comprises:

a pair of elongated stock members, having fixed ends pivotally supported by said shank, and free unsupported ends; and

locks fixedly attached to the free ends of said stock members for engaging said arm means and preventing the release thereof when said anchor is attached to said munition.

3. A folding anchor as recited in claim 1 wherein said slider means comprises:

a slider axially disposed on said shank;

a spring retaining pin transversely fixed in said shank and protruding therefrom;

a helical spring axially position on said shank intermediate said slider and said spring retaining pin; and

a pair of U-shaped stock pivot members fixedly attached to said stock members intermediate said stock members fixed and free ends;

a pair of links pivotally connected to said slider 0 said link first ends and pivotally connected on its other ends to said stock pivot members.

4. A folding anchor as recited in claim 1 wherein said arm means comprises:

a pair of arm members having fixed ends and free ends, said fixed ends pivotally connected to said crown member;

a pair of triangularly shaped fiukes operatively affixed to the free ends of said arm member; and

a pair of torsion biasing springs operatively positioned between said crown member and said arm members for causing said arm members to extend into said open position.

5. A folding anchor as recited in claim 1 wherein said spool means comprises:

a spool housing;

a line connected between said housing and said munition; and

a bracket fixedly attached to said shank and operatively holding said spool housing so that said line can be uncoiled from said spool housing when said anchor is separated from said munition. 

1. A folding anchor for attachment to an aircraft dispensed munition which comprises: a shank member releasably attached to said munition; stock means; a crown member fixedly attached to one end of said shank member; folding arm means, pivotally supported by said crown member, and spring biasing means for extending said arm means into an anchoring position when unlocked by said stock means; said stock means being foldable and pivotally supported on the other end of said shank member, including means for locking said arm means in folded position before deployment of said anchor from said anchor from said munition; slider means, biasedly positioned on said shank member, for extending said stock means from a folded position to an open position, thereby, unlocking said arm means, when said shank member is forcibly released from said munition; and spool means, operatively fixed to said shank member and said munition, for keeping said munition connected to said anchor after said anchor has separated from said munition.
 2. A folding anchor as recited in claim 1 wherein said folding stock means comprises: a pair of elongated stock members, having fixed ends pivotally supported by said shank, and free unsupported ends; and locks fixedly attached to the free ends of said stock members for engaging said arm means and preventing the release thereof when said anchor is attached to said munition.
 3. A folding anchor as recited in claim 1 wherein said slider means comprises: a slider axially disposed on said shank; a spring retaining pin transversely fixed in said shank and protruding therefrom; a helical spring axially position on said shank intermediate said slider and said spring retaining pin; and a pair of U-shaped stock pivot members fixedly attached to said stock members intermediate said stock members'' fixed and free ends; a pair of links pivotally connected to said slider on said link first ends and pivotally connected on its other ends to said stock pivot members.
 4. A folding anchor as recited in claim 1 wherein said arm means comprises: a pair of arm members having fixed ends and free ends, said fixed ends pivotally connected to said crown member; a pair of triangularly shaped flukes operatively affixed to the free ends of said arm member; and a pair of torsion biasing springs operatively positioned between said crown member and said arm members for causing said arm members to extend into said open position.
 5. A folding anchor as recited in claim 1 wherein said spool means comprises: a spool housing; a line connected between said housing and said munition; and a bracket fixedly attached to said shank and operatively holding said spool housing so that said line can be uncoiled from said spool housing when said anchor is separated from said munition. 